"For me, figuration and abstraction are unclear concepts. They are sooner indications that can be understood by everybody in a strictly personal and therefore different way. The notions with which I work, are therefore based less upon abstraction or figuration than on a similarity shared by these."
SmithDavidson gallery is the official Estate of Gerard Verdijk with access to the full collection.
Gerard Verdijk (1934 - 2005), the post-war Dutch artist best known for his abstract works on paper and canvas. Verdijk was an integral member of the Dutch art scene throughout his extensive career. Numerous national & international museums have included works in their collections. Additionally, major Verdijk retrospectives have been held at Museum Dordrecht, Noord Brabants Museum, Kunstmuseum The Hague and Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.
Verdijk always went his own way as an artist and he took inspiration from the international abstract movements of the 1950s, as well as from Oriental philosophy and encounters during his travels to Africa, Japan and America. As a result the work of Gerard Verdijk is so varied it can hardly be pinned down to one single movement. After moving to the French countryside in 1994, Verdijk’s paintings take a new distinct direction, combining elements from earlier works on paper, universal symbols from ancient cultures and advanced philosophical insights acquired during his previous travels. Signifying a true maturation of Gerard Verdijk’s artistic practice. The philosophical approach to Verdijk’s work deepened, resulting in a stronger connection between the depicted objects and negative space. A duality materialised between concrete objects and the oppositional void that surrounds them; between the shadows and the objects that cast them. The late paintings by Gerard Verdijk show a great restraint in minimalist compositions, yet they are filled with layered and sensuous color fields that fill the voids around those solid objects and shapes.